The continuing story of Birdie, the young adolescent
daughter of the warrior and bard in a light –handed Conqueror setting. Birdie
is a kid who is not only coping with adolescence; she is also coping with the
yin and yang of being the offspring of a warrior and a bard. And of course,
her parents are not just any warrior and bard.

Disclaimer: All of the usual disclaimers. Xena
and Gabrielle and Cyrene still belong to Renaissance and Universal and all those
business people; they belong to none of us, even though our love has kept them
alive for years and doing very well. Robin of the Warrior and Bard, (Birdie)
Zephyr the Fox, Hades the Horse, Icarus the Hawk, and so on, live in my head
and I hope will continue to do so.

Subtext: of course…Violence: sometimes.. But
in both cases, I try to be more concerned with writing well than with being
graphic.

Comments to onesockbard@aol.com and receive my deepest
gratitude for being out there and taking time to read. We play important parts
for each other in the joy that we find in the Xenaverse. Battle on…

And thanks always to my main reader, VX

Birdie’s Song II The Little Warrior Part
1

I
am Robin

Of
the Warrior

and
Bard.

“Icarus! Here!” A small golden hawk flew a single
circle of us before alighting on my leather sheathed arm. She gave me her usual
impatient, “Well?” snappy- eyed look, which subsided as I fed her a tidbit of
dried fish from my pocket.

“Whoaaa,
she’s bloody beeeautiful, Birdie.. How did you snag her?” my human companion,
a tow-headed boy of my same twelve and a half seasons exclaimed in a voice charged
with awe.

“I didn’t ‘snag her’, I found her one day maybe
a fortnight ago, when out riding Hades,” was the story. “She was grounded and
half-starved, tried to fight me, but I wrapped her in my coat and took her back
to the fortress. She was injured by a dried curved fishbone that had gone through
her beak somehow. Perhaps it happened when she was eating or perhaps a fishing
accident. But I managed to keep her still enough to remove it with a pair of
Mama G’s hobby tweezers. My hands were bloodied by her beak first thing ;
she was one angry little bird. But then I nursed her back to heath on bits
of fish and she thought better of me.”

Icarus flapped and sat on my arm glaring irritably
at Talus, but she continued to take the fish from him. “She’s free and on her
own now, but if I am out, she always finds me. Sometimes she comes to my window
as well. You know why I named her Icarus?”

“Of
course, Birdie, for the boy who fell from the sky,” Talus gave me an annoyed
look, “I can hardly wait to carve her.”

“She’s
not very good to be still.”

“Neither
was Zephyr, but I got her, didn’t I?”

“You
do have a remarkable talent, my friend.”

He
grinned, “It’s a passion, Birdie...”

My experiment was complete. While Talus continued
to distract Icarus with pieces of dried fish, I had

secured a small band on her left leg. She gave
me the evil eye a time or two, but then settled in to tolerating it well enough.
I gave her the last bit of fish and stroked her head gently.

“Ok, my pretty girl, are you ready?
Icarus, FLY.”

And she did, soaring up into a sky the color of
my Baba Xe’s eyes, my own as well, I suppose. I ran to spring flip onto Hades’
back, gave Talus the quick arm up and we rode into our second adventure of the
day with Zephyr loping along easily sniffing out all threatening ground squirrels
ahead.

A candle mark later, breath by breath
I crabbed carefully to the edge of the precipice.

Below me and across a small creek were the cone
shaped huts of the Descendents of Zon, a vagabond group of barbarians, a group
who frequently gave my home settlement some very aggravating moments, as they
felt it necessary to attack Amphipolis at least three or four times a season.
This feud dated back to the days of my ancestor the warrior Xenarone, going
on nearly one hundred seasons now. For lack of a greater challenge, I had taken
to spying on the DOZ every seven day or so, and today, Talus had come with me.
It wasn’t the smartest way for us to pass our leisure candle marks, and Xena
the Conqueror would surely hang my hide on the armory wall if she gained the
knowledge of my past time, but for now the diversion seemed worth the risk.
The huts were constructed of slender poles and different animal hides--quite
practical for a nomadic society. The barbarians themselves favored clothing
made of longer haired animals, like mountain goats and sheep. Their clothing
made it difficult to differentiate between the sexes, but most of the men sported
filthy beards.

There was a noisy rustle to my right, and Talus
joined me. His dark green eyes grew large,

“Whoa,
Birdie lookit !” he whispered not very softly.

I gave him a sharp elbow
in the ribs.

“Shhhh Talus!! Announce us to them wouldja?”

He immediately ducked his head. Talus was a newcomer
to the world of adventure; he made mistakes but he was a very quick study.
Heavy panting nearby pulled my attention right into the large furry ears of
Zephyr, my black fox, and my closest companion.

“Zephyr, hold it down a little,” she licked her
chops and closed her mouth. The fox understood every word I spoke.

I squirmed my way back to the edge of the precipice
peering my nose just over the rim. Once again... all right… two hundred or
so of the huts, which meant probably at least two hundred fifty of the “hairy
fellas” as we of Amphipolis called the DOZ’s warriors. Several of them were
working on what looked like a new siege engine. This one had a modified construction
to the catapult portion, actually rather innovative for the hairy fellas. My
mind took note. I had walked around the siege engine that our militia had
captured in the DOZ’s last attempt, and it was an interesting machine. The
engineers and smithies of Amphipolis had done some reinventing of the wheel
however, and the DOZ would receive a very unpleasant dose of their own medicine
the next time they attacked. I caught sight of a few DOZ wives as they went
about cooking and caring for the small hairy fellas. Life could not be easy
for them in the rough as they lived.

Talus
crawled up once more, and this time he loosened a larger rock from the cliff
which fell over the edge

. “Ahhhh Zeus’s thundering horse feathers!!” I
yelled; we released and rolled like crazy people down to the bottom of the hill
where Hades was waiting. Gaining my feet, I sprinted towards my huge horse,
who immediately bowed his head and bent his knee from which I took a light spring
forward and half-twisted over his head into the saddle. Leaning down, I gave
an arm up to Talus and we were off. Zephyr was already quite a bit ahead loping
low and fast like a black lightening bolt. Hades galloped like all Hades was
after him, and I leaned into his neck. Talus leaned into my back; I felt a
certain wild excitement in the chase, confident that we would make it back safely.
After turning back once to make certain we weren’t followed, I slowed Hades
at a cold rushing creek within view of Amphipolis and slid from his broad back.
Talus fell immediately to drinking in huge slurping gulps from the creek and
trying to catch his breath ; he had a bit to learn yet about taking this kind
of activity in stride. I ran my hands over Hades to make certain he hadn’t
suffered from the run, put a steady palm on Talus’ back for just a moment to
calm him, and then stretched out beside him to partake of the creek. I flipped
over happily, only to discover that a tall figure was blocking the sun and would
very likely the block rest of my joy in the day. My eyes traveled up the black
buckled boots, lean leather pants, and a long dark coat with cobalt stars on
the sleeves. The Conqueror. Minotaur shite. I couldn’t see her eyes for
the sun, but I could feel the icy burn slicing into the top of my head.

“Talus,
your father is looking for you.” The ever calm and Conqueror cool voice resonated.

He bowed quickly and jogged off, with hardly a
limp. Talus was extremely well brought up, his parents were good citizens of
Amphipolis, and I was especially found of his father, Atticus.

“Let’s walk,” continued the low voice as I found
my feet. I took hold of Hades’ lead and felt a light firm hand fall on the
back of my neck as we turned toward the fortress of Amphipolis. Zephyr continued
up ahead, checking out the peripheries as was her habit.

“So, Little Bird, would
you like to tell me what made you and Talus and Hades ride in here like the
Roman Army itself was after you?” was the Conqueror’s quiet inquiry.

I stayed silent trying to
think of how to answer this intelligently and safely.

“Well?”
the voice was lower, more dangerous.

“Baba
Xe, I’ve never lied to you, right?”

“No, Birdie, you have never lied to me; it’s not
really in your character. I think that’s your Mama G in you.”

“Well,
I think that you would be happier if you didn’t ask me that question.”

“Clever,
Birdie, except that I have already asked the question.”

Oh this was not going to be good then. We walked
a while longer while my conscience cast about for courage. There was really
no way but to say it.

“Talus and I were spying on the DOZ’s; Talus knocked
a stone over the edge of the cliff, and I was afraid we would be caught. So
we found it necessary to depart and travel quickly.”

My
tall and dangerous parent stopped dead still and closed her eyes.

“Birdie,
please tell me that I didn’t hear you correctly.”

Her reaction gave me pause,
but I said it.

“You
did, Baba.”

“Eurylocus!” She waved at one of the militia who
worked in the stables; he trotted over to take Hades and Argo while we continued
walking; Zephyr had gone ahead into the fortress through her special “foxhole”.
She was so smart.

She
swallowed and composed her next question.” And it is my guess that this was
not your first time at this activity?”

“Well,
it was Talus’s first time.”

“Birdie.”

“No,
My Lady, it was not the first time for me.”

I waited my head bowed for her to pass sentence.
It would be harsh, because my activities had been most unwise, and I certainly
knew better. Most likely, Baba Xe and I were going to spend extensive quality
time in the armory, with my backside catching a thorough demonstration of the
power of her hard sword hand. My crime merited such action; I expected such
to be the price of being caught at foolish activities.

But Baba Xe remained silent. I sneaked a glance
at her, and she was walking slowly, looking at the ground, boots jingling slightly.
I couldn’t read her at all, and it clawed at my belly. After a few more moments
walking, she sighed, tilted her head at me a little and said, “Go to your room,
Birdie.”

“My
room, Baba?”

“Yes.”

And with those words, she
simply walked away from me.

Devastated and confused,
I ascended the circular stairs to my tower bedroom on the west side of the fortress;
Zephyr had rejoined me, tail down, for she sensed my mood.

“I
don’t understand Gabrielle, “paced the Conqueror, “she seems to be getting worse,
more defiant and using that head of hers LESS instead of MORE!”

“And you just walked away from her?” responded
the gentle bard. “That must have hurt.”

“Gabrielle, are you listening to me? Birdie was SPYING on the D-O-Z!!
For FUN!!”

“Why did you walk away from her, Xena?” the
question was repeated. “The very few times in our relationship that you have
walked away from me, you might as well have stabbed me in the heart. I couldn’t
breathe; I couldn’t think: I couldn’t move. My life stopped. My body was in
motion,, but my life stopped.”

The warrior took her soul mate to her heart immediately, drawing
her in closely.

“ I should never have done so, and I regret
it to this day…” She sighed and sat on the bed. “And obviously now, your greater
concern is Birdie’s reaction to my reaction, and NOT Birdie’s wrongdoing?”

The bard sat beside her with an arm around her.

“I’m sorry, Xena.” She pulled
the dark head close to her shoulder. “That pain returned so fast and so fierce.
Perhaps it shouldn’t still be so tender, should it?”

“Maybe it should, Gabrielle, “the indigo
eyes were a little watery. “It was a rough time. Birdie shouldn’t feel that
kind of distress at my hand. I better go give her a different kind of distress.”
She chuckled humorlessly. “Honestly, I was so upset and disappointed in her
for doing something---- just ridiculously dangerous, I felt sending her to her
room seemed the wisest action until I could calm down and think it through a
bit, and perhaps talk to you.”

The bard looked at the floor smiling,

“Then it was the wise action, Big Warrior,
and you are absolutely right. It was a ridiculously stupid and dangerous thing
to do.”

“Gabrielle, this little spy outing was just
the first time she had Talus with her. She has done it before on her own.
I didn’t ask her how many times before kicking her off upstairs.”

“She took TALUS with her? She’s corrupting
Talus?”

“I
am sure that Birdie believes that she is teaching Talus.”

“Xena.”

“Well,
she probably is.”

“Xena!”

“Well?”

“See,
now you have thought about it too long!!”

The bard pounced on the giggling warrior and
they rolled backward on the bed in a happy embrace. After a moment when all
four eyes were staring at the ceiling, the bard spoke,

“Xena,
I am going to ask you a question that you probably won’t like, ok?”

“That’s nothing new Gabrielle,” came the
purring reply.

“Why
are you afraid to deal with Birdie when she needs correction?”

“I
don’t understand, Gabrielle, afraid?”

“I think that you do understand,, Xena.
Ever since she was missing for that seven day, when I was hurt; that was a
very rough time for you, and Birdie discovered some of her own darkness then.
But you have been unwilling call her on misbehavior more than once, since that
time. You retire, you leave it to me, almost as if you wish it would go away,
or….. as if you are afraid.”

The famous eyes filled.

“Shall I bring the target closer
so you may skewer more effectively, my bard?”

Her bard pulled the dark head into her arms to tell the truth more
tenderly.

“ Birdie is still our CHILD,
our child who desperately needs her Baba’s guidance; in fact, it seems to me,
that she is practically begging for it of late.”

“Do
you really think so, Gab?”

“What are you afraid of, Xena? Do you believe
that she has changed so much?”

A deep sigh.

“Maybe. It seems like your
gentle ways are better right now for her than mine. Yours are the better example.
And as I have said before, Birdie adores you; she can’t stand to know that
you are upset with her.”

“And as I have said before, she worships
you, Xena. If you told her to walk into a lake and never come up for air again,
she would do it. She so needs your guidance, your love, and yes-- your firmer
hand at times. She must learn firmer ways of the world from YOU.”

The warrior had rolled over and was staring at the ceiling, rivers
of tears running down the sides of her head into her raven tresses.

“It’s very hard to explain, Gabrielle. But
it’s the darkness. I guess that I feel like I have no right, with my past,
you know; it feels almost hypocritical to stand on her too hard.”

The bard sat up to look hard at her soul mate.

“Xena, you have been many different
people in your life, but I don’t believe that you have ever been a hypocrite.
You have always done what you believed, right or wrong. You have some regrets,
but who doesn’t? And now you hesitate to cope with our child as she struggles
with what you see as your own character flaws developing in her? Not the case,
Big Warrior, Birdie’s flaws are her own. Do not give her that excuse; do not
give her any excuse. And don’t excuse yourself from responsibility either.”

“Well, we shall make her suffer for it sometimes…”
the bard winked at her warrior, ran her hand through her shaggy hair and turned
to exit the room.

“However,” she turned back suddenly placing both
hands on the broad shoulders, “ You and I are far from finished talking about
this, ok?”

Her soul mate’s sky colored eyes radiated love,
“ Yes m’am.”

Zephyr and I were sitting in my big window sill,
watching the militia drill out on the practice fields, when a soft knock at
my door took my attention. I looked at my fox, “Best you skedaddle, Zephyr,
you don’t want to be in trouble.”

She gave me her tilted head sympathetic look, and
quickly slid under my bed. My opened door revealed the Queen of the Amazons,
the Queen of Amphipolis Fortress, the Lady Gabrielle, the Battling Bard of Potedia,
soul mate to The Conqueror, my small, but very formidable mother.

“Spying on the DOZ?” was her greeting. She
walked past me as I closed the door and as she turned to face me, it was difficult
to meet the fire snapping in her eyes.

“Yes,
m’am.”

“Robin of the Warrior and Bard, did you consider
even remotely how dangerous your little sport was?” Uh oh, full name and title
time.

“Not
so much, Mama G.”

“And now you are taking Talus on these wild endeavors?
Birdie, he’s not as well trained as you, and he has the weak foot; he could
be hurt or killed!”

I hung my head.

“Very
poor judgment Birdie!”

“Yes
m’am.”

“You've
upset your Baba as well, you know that.”

“Yes
my lady, I do know that.”

“Come
here, Birdie.”

I moved front and center and she took my arm, turned
me sideways toward her, and pulled me over just a bit. Her right hand delivered
a fair swat to the seat of my britches.

“So
this one is for Baba.”

“
Yes, Mama.”

I straightened up, blinking
hard, but she tugged me over again.

Another, some sting to it.

“ That one is for Talus. Don’t you ever hurt Talus.
He is your friend.” She put her hand on the back of my hair.

“I
know, Mama.”

More sting on the next one.
My eyes were watering and I knew that she wasn’t finished.

“That one is from me; you worry me, Birdie.” She
closed her eyes with the word “worry” dropping to a whisper.

Her small but determined
hand landed again smarting just a bit more and the tears spilled from my eyes,
as they met hers once again.

“That
one was for not using your wits, Birdie. You are reckoned to be the smartest
child of your age in this entire area.”

“Yes, m’am.” A whispered acknowledgement.

The final whack was gentle,
but it broke me down completely.

“That
one is because I love you.” Now her voice caught.

“I know, Mama. I’m sorry Mama.” The words were
just barely managed and I couldn’t look at her.

She took my hand then, and led me to the red loveseat
where she sat down, tugged my head into her lap, and ran her hand through my
hair saying nothing, until I settled and quieted. Mama G had a unique ability
to take me quickly into her hands and heart and chasten me thoroughly, and gently.

“What are we going to do with you, Birdie?” She
said softly.

“I don’t know, Mama. I don’t mean to do stupid
things... “

Her hand gripped my hair
and turned my head to look into her eyes.

“You are telling me that you were spying on the
DOZ by accident? You are telling me that you didn’t know it was stupid and
dangerous?”

“Well…”

She laughed then.

“You
sound so much like your Baba.”

“I
do?”

“You
have an upset Baba though. You two will need to talk.”

“She doesn’t want to talk to me, Mama. She walked
away.”

“She was angry, Birdie. She didn’t trust herself.
She wanted to be cool and careful when she dealt with you on this.”

She gazed down at me and
her hand stopped in my hair.

“That’s why I came first. To do the hard part.”

The sea foam eyes filled
and ran over; I reached up to brush a tear from her face,

“The ‘hard part’, Mama?”

Her fingers pulled my hair
for emphasis.

“Birdie, the application of tough love is not fun—hence,
the name -- ‘tough love’; it’s painful for everyone. But the ‘ hard part’ is
necessary to make certain that you stay on the path of becoming the best kid
in the whole world.”

“Well,
you are really good at it, Mama; you are very smooth.”

She laughed as the tears ran down her face; she
was blessed with that ability as well; it enhanced her skill as a poet. It
gave me comfort to be the cause of her smile. Her hand reached around behind
to place another gentle swat.

“Well,
try to stay out of trouble for awhile, Little Bird, ok?”

I sighed and stared out from the pillow of her lap
before the handle of my hair had me again looking up into my mother’s intense
countenance, accented by her beautiful jade eyes.

“OK?”

“Yes
M’am.”

She sighed- one of those
half annoyed loud sighs which blew the bangs of her bright hair up.

“Everyone
is saying that to me lately; it’s like I am royalty or something..”

“Mama.”

“Hmmmmmmmmm?”

“You
are royalty.”

Zephyr chose the moment to creep from her hideaway.
I scratched her ears and she brushed her nose under my hand.

“Hello Zephyr,” My mother patted the couch, and
the fox put her head on the red upholstery. “You always know the perfect moment
to reappear, don’t you? ‘ sly as a fox,’ right?” I KNOW you were with Birdie.
You pull nothing over on me.”

Zephyr folded her black
ears back a little and licked Mama’s hand gently.

“Is
that an apology?”

A little whine.

Mama rubbed her soft black
ears.

“Ok,
you are forgiven this time.”

Zephyr scooted over and nuzzled a moment against
her Lady’s leg and put her head in Mama’s lap giving her serious fox eyes. Then
with a final hand lick, she returned to me. My mother’s gaze followed her.

“She
understands a great deal, doesn’t she?”

“Mama, Zephyr understands every word I say, and
she has ever since the day I found her. She is like my furry soul mate.”

Another
smile.

There was a light tap at
the door.

The door revealed my Baba
Xe, and I leaped to attention nervously.

“My
Lady.”

“Birdie.”

Mama G crossed immediately to slide into her spot
under the Conqueror’s arm, her arms wrapped around the powerful body. Baba
kissed the top of her head and Mama closed her eyes, squeezed, and breathed
a moment as if drawing life and comfort from her soul mate, replacing what I
took from her. I looked away to give them privacy.

“I
am glad to hear that, Birdie,” she spoke evenly, “Because if it does, you will
find that all of our previous times in the armory were merely practice, I promise
you. “

The ultimatum was given in the voice of the Conqueror
- absolutely no question. I closed my eyes from the intensity of her words.
She put her fingers in my hair and lifted my head to meet her eyes again.

“Do
you understand me, Little Bird?”

“Yes
m’am.”

I was saying that a lot today.

“Good. “ She then pulled my head forward and kissed
my hair; Baba was returned.

“I
hope so. Now tell me about the DOZ.”

“Really
Baba?”

“Really,
Birdie.”

She sat on my red couch, her arms
resting on her knees and looked at me, blue eyes direct. Mama G stood beside
her stroking the dark hair.

“ If you are going to be in trouble,
Birdie, you might as well be of use, kiddo.” She smiled.

I lowered my head humbly for a moment, swallowed,
then looked up.

“ They are located about a half day’s
ride from here and have been so for a fortnight. That would indicate to me
that they plan an attack soon, wouldn’t you think?”

“Possibly.” The Conqueror listened carefully.
“Anything else?”

“It appears that they have modified their siege
engine. It now has a large star shape on the catapult end. My guess is that
it will actually catapult soldiers over our fortress walls, perhaps five at
a time if they aren’t too heavy, and they will land in our residential areas,
where they hope we will have no defense. It seems like a bad fall for the fellas
though.”

“That’s good intelligence, Birdie.” My head felt
almost light at the praise, until my mother’s eyes indicated to me that I better
rein in the stampeding horses of my ego.

“How many times have you watched them?” The Conqueror’s
voice, very soft, very dangerous.

I hesitated, but seeing
no shelter from the Conqueror’s voice in the flashing jade eyes, I decided on
evasion.

“A
few times, Baba.”

She glanced over at Mama
G, and then smiled,

“You and I Little Bird will talk
about ALL of this spying activity at an appointed time in the not too distant
future. And our chat will be in the armory.”

What was there to say? She was my Baba Xe but she
was also Xena the Conqueror; neither were happy.

“Yes ma’m.”

“But
in the interim, we shall ride out tomorrow and you will show me this camp.”

“XENA!” Mama G’s voice was electric with disapproval.
I was a silent bird.

“Gabrielle, I promise if she offers to take the
smallest step out of line, she will feel the full wrath of the Conqueror in
a manner that will be unforgettable.”

Well, there was a good threat. My insides shuddered
a little.

Baba Xe put her hand on my shoulder,

“Go on to bed, Birdie and be up with
the sun. We will make our plan at breakfast and depart soon after.”

“Xena, What in Hades are you thinking? I
have only just finished working the kid over for ‘spying on the DOZ’, and now
you will take her with you tomorrow to ‘spy on the DOZ’?” I haven’t read a
lot of parenting scrolls, but this seems to be a good example of a ‘mixed message’
to me.”

The
warrior swept the bard into her arms completely, spinning her in a circle round
and round kissing her , kissing her, kissing her, kissing her……

The woman with hair like the sun sighed and
looked up at the raven haired woman in her arms.

“Xena, seriously. What is your thinking?”

The warrior took the bard’s hand in her own.

“ Many things actually. One,
if the kid is going to spy on people, I want her to learn to spy’ properly’.
And second, I would wager that before we even arrive at a suitable place to
actually SPY, Birdie will do just ONE THING that is stupid or reckless. I will
then take her firmly in hand and put a quick end to this habit of tempting danger
for recreation. Some lessons are better learned at the MOMENT. Birdie and
I always understand each other very clearly when I catch her in the act. You,
my love are the parent for talking reviewing, and consequences after the fact.”

The bard sighed, “No I’m not really, Xena,
it’s just that sometimes that’s how it has to be. It’s hard on me, but I do
it because it must be done, for Birdie’s sake.”

She received a warm embrace and a gentle
Conqueror’s caress on her cheek. “You are the finest mother a child could possibly
have, Gabrielle. I marvel at you; Birdie is clay in your hands. You rarely
raise your voice, your temper, or your hand to her, and even when you must do
one of those, you are gentle but firm, consistent but kind, our child is heartbroken
at causing you pain, and you quickly forgive. You are a wonder with her.”

Gabrielle propped herself up on an elbow.
“You and I are different people, Xena, and our differences change the ways
we approach Birdie. I am trying to raise the poet, which means I must teach
her that while Birdie may believe she is acting in the best interests of everyone
consequences will follow, right or wrong. Poets dream, and while dreams make
beautiful words, they can be quite painful in the reality . I learned that
from you, my wild and woolly warlord. “

She
received a kiss for that lovely little gratitude.

You, on the other hand, believe
that you train a warrior whose very lifestyle means constant vigilance and practice
for defense and danger. Yet you seem to fear taking that responsibility; do
you fear the darkness in Birdie, or do you fear your own?”

The Conqueror was silent…. Too long. Gabrielle
knew that her words had traveled home.

“Xena don’t be afraid of our child; don’t
be afraid of what you will teach her. You are no longer a warlord.” She thought
another moment.

“Remember how horrified I was
when Birdie chose Hades as HER very own horse ?”

“You were not alone in your fear,” chuckled
her soul mate. “Leave it to Birdie to love the biggest horse in all the land,
the horse that could kick her over the moon with one hoof.”

“But they understand each other completely,
and Birdie couldn’t ride a better horse. That horse would die for her.”

“It
is truly amazing to see them together.” Agreed Xena the horse trainer..

“Well,” mused the poet, “ from what I have
seen and heard of Birdie’s talents as a warrior, our child has another Hades
in the ring. “

Her soul mate regarded her- understanding the image.

Gabrielle continued, “Yes,
I am an excellent fighter, and I have killed to protect those I love, but do
I have the innate talent and drive to be a great warrior? No. Birdie does,
Xena. It is running loose in her like a huge wild horse, and you must be her
guide, you must mold our little warrior. Think how it might have been for
you if someone had worked with you at age fifteen when you were angry and full
of darkness—if someone had sat you down firmly and made you deal with that energy
in a less destructive fashion?”

That brought alarm
to the azure eyes,. “Do you believe that Birdie is in so much trouble? So nearly
out of control?”

The
bard encircled her lover’s waist with her arms and listened to the heartbeat
which had increased at the intensity of their conversation.

“No, Xena I do not believe that Birdie is
in that much trouble. What I am saying”, she moved her head back to meet the
blue eyes,

“Is that Birdie must have that guidance from
YOU. I am not of the required character or strength to help her develop that
side of her personality or talent. I can always bring the poet in her home,
with love, firmness and WORDS, but that isn’t always enough. She knows that.
She expected stern correction from you for her latest misadventure, and while
I dealt with her misdeed, it would have been better if YOU had dealt with her,
Xena.”

The warrior sighed, “So I am
failing her.”

The bard took the great shoulders in her hands and shook them slightly.

“NEVER have you or shall you
fail our child, my love. You are Xena the Conqueror, the greatest warrior in
all the lands we know. You will never fail Birdie; I know how much you love
her. Love never fails.”

She
smiled and reached for the dark hair, “Buck up big Warrior… you have very likely
put yourself into an adventure tomorrow.”

“Don’t
you want to come with us?”

“I can hardly bear for you to go without
me, but this is a journey for my two warriors together. There will be growth
only the two of you can give each to the other. And besides, it’s only for
a day.”